LEGWOLD says: Broncos may not add coach

[HEAV]

As most of the nation's best senior prospects for the NFL draft do their thing inside Ladd-Peebles Stadium under the watchful eyes of roughly every NFL scout and personnel executive in preparation for Saturday's Senior Bowl, another group has been hard at work this week.

They are coaches looking for a way to get into - or back into - the NFL.

The Broncos were one of the teams considered to have an opening on its staff, what with assistant head coach/offense Mike Heimerdinger having left to become the Titans offensive coordinator.

Especially with the Broncos' top potential replacements - Chan Gailey and Karl Dorrell - having accepted jobs with the Chiefs and Dolphins.

But the feeling in the league now, at least according to several coaches who inquired about getting an interview with Mike Shanahan, is that the Broncos are expected to divvy up the duties among their current offensive staff.

The Broncos' current lineup on offense has Rick Dennison, who also coaches the line, as the offensive coordinator, and he and Jeremy Bates, who coaches wide receivers and helps with the quarterbacks, will work with Shanahan, who oversees the offense.

Dennison largely coordinated the team's running game this season, with Shanahan and Heimerdinger handling the passing game. Shanahan called plays on game day this season except for about four games when he was spending more time with the team's struggling defense.

The Broncos have decided to go with a similar formula on defense after assistant head coach/defense Jim Bates elected to leave the team rather than accept a reassignment as linebackers coach.

Defensive coordinator Bob Slowik, who carried that title last season, now will call the defense and lead the team's game-planning on that side of the ball. Also, the Broncos simply shifted Jim Ryan, who had been working on offense, to coach the linebackers.


http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/25/legwold-broncos-may-not-add-coach/

[jmz313]

sounds.... uninteresting? Maybe foolish?

[elsid13]

"Shanahan called plays on game day this season except for about four games when he was spending more time with the team's struggling defense."

When this happens you know as DC your time is up. Shanahan pretty hands off with the defense until it ****s up. I wonder which games he started to get involved in the game planning

[bpc]

Christ. Is this arrogance? Do we not feel anybody is worthy?

[Needa Pass Rush]

The Broncos have had too many chiefs in the past. They had something like 6 more coaches then the Pats this year. Everyone knows that having ANY chiefs can be a bad thing!

[Atlas]

Christ. Is this arrogance? Do we not feel anybody is worthy?

It's not arrogance. The Broncos have one of the largest coaching staffs in the league.

[bronco_diesel]

i don't get it. there have been so many complaints about the number of coaches the bronco's have had.

now that a few have left and they appear to be holding rather than adding more...they get ridiculed for that too?

i see this as possibly a good thing.
shannahan is clearly going to be the OC

not many of us like dennison here - and i also see this as shanny not having the confidence to turn the offense over to him. this is a good thing.

[RaiderH8r]

When your coaching staff outnumbers your game day roster of players it may not be an entirely bad idea to cut back a little.

[Drek]

Christ. Is this arrogance? Do we not feel anybody is worthy?

I don't think its that. Shanahan heaped the blame on himself in his post season presser, so I don't think arrogance is coming into play here.

I think the whole off-season coaching changes so far are about Shanahan taking it back on his shoulders to coach the team, not manage it.

He's got a guy he's known for a long time, trusts, and who already has the players' trust taking full control of the defense now.

At the same time he's now going to be even more hands on in the offense, where his skills really lie.

I think our years of having Kubiak here allowed Shanahan to fall into a game planning malaise on offense, knowing Kubes had it covered so he just spent his time managing the many different facets of the whole team. Now he's realizing that Kubes wasn't just a manager of his system, but someone who actually added to it. So now Mike has to take up the reigns again until someone like Kubes can be trained or found. As of now it seems like they think thats Jim Bates.

Less coaching is only going to help this team if you ask me. We've muddied the waters the last few seasons with more coordinator level staff than we really need. Cull it back, have guys responsible for positions sure, but one man at the top of each unit who then reports back to Mike directly. No need for a dozen big chiefs overseeing a dozen little indians.

[shakenbake]

Good to see some of you agree with the notion that we have too many coaches these past few seasons. We need less guys designing game plans. I will be excited if we don't get a new coach because that will mean Shanahan will be taking a more hands on approach.

[montrose]

This is good news, there's been too many cooks in the kitchen recently. When the Broncos we're winning Super Bowls - Greg Robinson headed up an aggressive defensive unit while Kubiak (Passing) and Gibbs (Running Game) assisted Shanny in running the offense.

[broncofan]

"Shanahan called plays on game day this season except for about four games when he was spending more time with the team's struggling defense."

When this happens you know as DC your time is up. Shanahan pretty hands off with the defense until it ****s up. I wonder which games he started to get involved in the game planning

I'm interested as to what those four games were.

[elsid13]

I'm interested as to what those four games were.

We know one was the Pitt game - because there was the article about Shanahan working with the defense during the off week.

[Smiling Assassin27]

the number of coaches on staff is insignificant relative to the quality of said coaches. during those championship years, roles were clearly defined and we had quality people at every coaching spot whose abilities fit their job. dennison an O-C? We all know this is merely a title. Dinger was a wholesale train wreck and held back the offense, IMO, as did Shanny's poor playcalling in the red zone.

[lex]

Perhaps this is driven by Bowlen putting his foot down. Remember what he said about looking to FA to get help. This is kind of consistent with that.

[Beantown Bronco]

Perhaps this is driven by Bowlen putting his foot down. Remember what he said about looking to FA to get help. This is kind of consistent with that.

Exactly...if Bowley has X amount to spend this season and that X has to be spent on both the coaches salaries and the bonuses to be paid to players this season, then not signing more unnecessary big name "Assistant Head Coaches" could free up a few million dollars for FAs.

[Rohirrim]

If you've been to Dove Valley you know, any more coaches and they would have had to put trailers in the parking lot. Hell, I don't know where they keep all the ones they have now. ;D

[telluride]

the number of coaches on staff is insignificant relative to the quality of said coaches. during those championship years, roles were clearly defined and we had quality people at every coaching spot whose abilities fit their job. dennison an O-C? We all know this is merely a title. Dinger was a wholesale train wreck and held back the offense, IMO, as did Shanny's poor playcalling in the red zone.

Exactly right.

[rovolution]

Shanny becoming more involved offensively is great news.


Hes was one of the leagues best play callers during his OC days in SanFran, and I think this will allow him to take on some more responsiblities of an OC as opposed to being strictly a HC.

[SonOfLe-loLang]

It's funny. 85 percent of this board complains that Shanahan is a dictator that makes every little decision. People have even posted stupid cartoons that lampoon the idea. Now you guys are complaining about too many cooks in the kitchen designing gameplans.

This is a NON story. It's not like he dumped the entire offensive staff..he just didnt retain an "Assistant Head Coach - Offense" or whatever title they came up with for Dinger.

[2KBack]

agreed to most, this is good news. I've been annoyed by over-crowding of coaches. The fat needed to be trimmed and "assistant head coaches" needed to go.

[DukeWoody]

I agree with most in this thread about sticking with the coaches we have...but, i would also like to see a top shelf QB coach brought in to help properly develope Cutler...

[cmhargrove]

Dennison and bates will both look like geniuses if we can just block better next year...

We need help at OT, more than we need coaching creativity.

The Patriots have won this year on lots of bread and butter offense. They just give Brady 8 seconds to pass because they block well. Let's spend money on OT, rather than blaming coaches for weak blocking.

[RaiderH8r]

I have always disliked the "Assistant Head Coach-Offense/Defense" position above an OC or DC. Either the coordinators aren't needed or the AHC position isn't needed. It's just too many cooks in the kitchen to keep it all. Also, the AHC title seems like a bit of feeding the ego of those who think too much of themselves to be coordinators or management/Shanny not having the bollacks to make the call and go one way or the other in determing who's best suited to the position.

[Beantown Bronco]

I have always disliked the "Assistant Head Coach-Offense/Defense" position above an OC or DC. Either the coordinators aren't needed or the AHC position isn't needed. It's just too many cooks in the kitchen to keep it all. Also, the AHC title seems like a bit of feeding the ego of those who think too much of themselves to be coordinators or management/Shanny not having the bollacks to make the call and go one way or the other in determing who's best suited to the position.

Pretty much every team does it, not just Shanny. It's a loophole, or "poison pill" (like when people write certain bogus clauses into the contracts of restricted free agents that they want to steal away from other teams.) In order to steal a good coach from another team, you have to give them a "promotion." What better way to do that than by inventing new titles but not increasing their actual duties?

People here have been perpetuating this myth that the Broncos are the only team in the league that has been employing large coaching staffs. I'll bet they are smack dab in the middle of the league in pure coaching numbers, if not a little on the low side if they don't replace either of the "assistants" they lost this offseason. Every team has dozens of assistant coaches and positional coaches. It's just the direction the league has gone to for whatever reason.

[Killericon]

If we bring in anyone, I hope it's someone to help out with the defense.

[SoDak Bronco]

you can have the best damn coaches in the world, but if you don't have the players, it doesn't matter. You may be able to coach your team up to a few more victories, but you still need players.

Look at how bellicheat did before he had Tom Brady...